ADDICTED TO CAS #192 - ANIMAL

Vicki, our current ATCAS hostess, has chosen "Animal" as the code-word for our challenge #192. I think you'll have fun with this one! I realized I don't have very many animals represented in my stamps and dies - which seems strange for an animal lover! 

I settled on the image of a fox for 2 reasons: 1) this is a Papertrey Ink stamp set that I've had for at least 5 years but have only used the leaves and 2) I was also inspired by CASology with the code challenge "Fox". Until I saw the word fox I had forgotten I had this set. Because the fox looks like a pup, I thought this would make a good new baby card.

Most of this card is made from PTI products - the stamp set "Stylized Autumn", "Ocean Tides" ink, and the Tiny Tags dies. The fox is printed with Memento's "Potter's Clay" dye ink. The envelope lining and ribbon are both from my stash.

I'm anxious to see what animals all of you will come up with!

Addicted to CAS: Challenge #192 - Animal

And for the CASology Challenge:

CASology: Week 384: FOX

Added 3/02/21:

LIVE SIMPLY

With a little bit of extra time this morning I sat down to my desk and played a bit with the current Freshly Made Sketches #474. This is a favorite image of mine, as it looks like my Sweet Sara! I have no idea who manufactured this stamp set. 

I fussy-cut the dog and bone after printing them and used red and black markers to make eyes, nose, whiskers, collar, and heart. The tan ink is PTI's "Fine Linen" and the sentiment is from PTI's "Winter Hills" stamp set, stamped in Memento "Tuxedo Black". The envelope was made with PTI's printed paper in "Fine Linen".

 Freshly Made Sketches: Sketch #474 - A Sketch by Judy (Feb 24)

CREATING A SCENE

 I am SO looking forward to spring!! While we've been much more fortunate than most of the rest of the country weather-wise, these gray days are getting tiresome. I'm anxious to get out in my garden for a spring clean-up. 

My very simple card this morning is inspired by AAA Cards CAS Game #183 One Corner + Optional Twist 'Create a Scene'. I'm slipping in just under the wire!

This card was made with a couple of old stamps in my stash - the clouds/sun is an acrylic Hot Off the Press #HOTP-1206 "Cloud & Raindrops" and the sprouts are one of my favorite very old red rubber images from I don't know where. I stamped the image 3 times and embossed it with Zing! "Leaf" powder. The small sentiment is Hero Greetings. Once I stamped, colored and embossed the "scene" I die-cut a rectangle from it and popped it up with foam and adhered it all to a bright green folded card, which doesn't show in this shot.

AAA Cards: Game #183 One Corner + optional twist Create A Scene

Added on February 28:

TIME FLIES...

 This is the first Saturday for quite some time that I've had the time to come into my craft room/office to play with my stamps and paper. Where does the time fly off to? 

We've had some troubles over the past few months with our beloved Sara. She turned 14 last month and it seems that 14 is ancient for a Labrador retriever. In addition to difficulties with her hips, she's slipping into "doggie dementia" and walks in counterclockwise circles. It's almost a full-time project to just keep an eye on her to prevent her from urinating in the house (which she has never done in the 13 years we've been privileged to have her). We have our good days and we have our bad days,

So it seemed natural to want to give myself a bit of a break and do something up-lifting like making cards and entering challenges. In the interest of the symbolizing of "time flying" here is my first card of the morning:

I love this butterfly stamp from Kaiser Kraft. I bought it back in September of 2019 (you know, that year before the entire world started falling apart) to make my retirement announcements. Here is that project. 

I stamped the image twice - once with navy ink on white cardstock and again with white embossing powder on navy cardstock. Then I cut a strip of the embossed navy and glued it over the top of the white and then die-cut the rectangle and popped it up with foam backing. The tiny sentiment is a new Hero Arts "Hero Greetings" acrylic set that caught my eye. You'll see another sentiment from that set on my next post. The envelope was made from a sheet of German paper by Alexandra Renke. 

I made this card so I could participate in challenge #473 at Freshly Made Sketches

Freshly Made Sketches: There's Still Time to Play With Sketch 473

February 23, 2021:

 

 

HEARTS

It's time for a new Addicted to CAS challenge #191 Hearts - just in time for Valentine's Day. Thank you, Nancy! Here's an opportunity to show off your personal Valentine's Day cards, or just play with the challenge code word.

My card probably requires a bit of an explanation. Why would anyone choose a praying mantis image for a Valentine's Day card - especially since the females of the species bite off the heads of their mates after mating? Hardly an apt image for a "romantic" holiday! Well, anyone who has known me for any period of time knows, I have an affinity for these fascinating creatures. Some years ago, having never seen one in real life, I started seeing them on the doors of my home and place of business. It happened enough times to encourage me to do some research about praying mantis imagery and it's meaning in various folk cultures. I talked about it to everyone who would listen and started picking up little praying mantis objects d'art when I travelled and would see them - a handblown glass one in Moreno, an etching in Australia, a paper mache one in a garden shop at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, etc. etc. Before long friends started sending me photos and refrigerator magnets and hand-painted metal mantises from Africa. My friends on a special-interest online forum would send me notes that they were thinking of me because they had spotted a mantis on their porch or yard and they started calling me "Frantis". So this Valentine's Day card was sent to all of those special friends:

How could I resist purchasing a whole collection of wonderful bug rubber stamps from Katzelkraft ("Les Nounounes" #KTZ234) with this little creature in the collection? There are also all manner of whimsical bugs that will start making an appearance within my projects! This one was stamped with Momento "Tuxedo Black" ink and colored with Copic markers. The little hearts are from one of my favorite clear stamp collections - Avery Elle's #ST-18-07 "Loads of Wishes", stamped with PTI's "Hibiscus Burst" ink. The strip printed paper and small tag are also PTI items and the "Bugs & Kisses" stamp is from a Halloween collection.

The inside sentiment was generated from my brain and computer!

Now it's your turn to give it a go - let's see what you've got!

                                                Addicted to CAS: Challenge #191 - Hearts

Postscript: And what woman wouldn't want an enameled and bejeweled praying mantis from her husband on Valentines Day?!